2011-2012 Plans

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Easter leftovers, or I venture into the land of curry

For the first time ever, I cooked a leg of lamb for Easter. Since DH and I are the only ones who would eat it (my kids have boring palates to put it mildly), we had a ton of leftover meat. What to do, what to do? Like any modern gal, I Googled, "What to do with lamb roast leftovers." The resulting ideas were largely from the UK, but since I'm attempting a somewhat modified (due to a long list of food allergies) primal diet, things like shepherd's pie and pasties wouldn't work without a lot of changes (if then). But then a suggestion for lamb curry appeared before my eyes. A-ha! Curry, made with coconut milk (very primal friendly), is something I could go for. I have made (and loved) Sri Lankan Slow Cooker Chicken in the past, which is (I believe) a curry, but this was my first time making a stovetop version. Most of the lamb curry recipes I saw called for tomatoes or tomato sauce (allergy), so I decided to make my own recipe up as I went along. The result was very tasty, and not too spicy for DH, who isn't a big fan of hot peppers. Here's what I did--

Saute a chopped sweet onion over medium-low heat until translucent. Add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic, about a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, and two minced jalapeno peppers and saute a few minutes more. Add 1 T. coriander, 1 T. mild curry powder (mine was Madras), 1 t. tumeric, 1/2 t. salt (maybe a bit more), and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Pour in about a cup of coconut milk--add more if the pan appears too dry. Then add cubed leftover lamb and any cooked vegetables you might have in the fridge (I had some cauliflower and broccoli from the night before), turn the burner down to low, cover, and let simmer for about the amount of time it takes to microwave pasta for the kids and pour a glass of wine, or until the lamb is throughly warmed. Serve with rice if desired (DH desired; I did not).

No pictures, as it disappeared too quickly! Will be making it again the next time I have leftover lamb, or even before.

4 comments:

Had to comment because lamb curry is so dear to my heart! :) If you use a little less coconut milk and keep stirring, the resulting dryer version is super yummy too (especially if you add potato). I used to love making it when I had the time but these days, find curry easier.

You know, me thinks the climate has something to do with it. In my home country, it was so much easier to make the dry version (but frequent stirring was necessary there too). Here in CA, it dries out more easily too. No, I haven't used other root veg although I'm sure it will be yummy (you could add a little mint too for a slightly surprising zing). My guys like their meat spicy and don't appreciate the sweetness. They like how the regular potato gets a little mushy and absorbs all the spices and flavors.